See
http://www.planetwalk...

John Francis will be at Mt Mercy on April 12. Neil Bernstein, Chair Natural, Mathematical & Computer Sciences and Biology Program has a lesson plan based on the book from the National Geographic Society. John is a great speaker and has a lot to say about his life story and experiences.

If you are interested, his talk is April 12 at 7 PM in the Chapel of Mercy (to handle the number of people expected). He has been the guest at a variety of college, national, and international forums, including the concluding TED lecture.

From the website

John Francis was in his twenties when a 1971 oil spill in San Francisco Bay jarred his comfortable life. Even as he joined the volunteers who scrubbed the beaches and fought to save birds and sea creatures poisoned by petroleum, he felt the need to make a deeper, more personal commitment. As an affirmation of his responsibility to our planet, he chose to stop using motorized vehicles and began walking wherever he went. His decision was greeted with surprise, disbelief, and even mockery – but it was only the start of a much deeper transformation. A few months later he took a vow of silence that would last seventeen years.


This book is the story of a man who, on foot and in silence, has rediscovered rhythms in nature that most of us have forgotten, and learned to communicate his understanding and empathy without speaking a word. He walked across the Pacific Northwest, crossed the Sierra and Rocky Mountains, and traversed America from coast to coast. Along the way – and without a word – he earned undergraduate and Masters degrees in science and environmental studies and a PhD in land resources.


Illustrated by John’s sketches and complemented by practical wisdom on how we too can follow the trail that he has blazed, Planetwalker chronicles positive experiences and challenging times, bears witness to the beauty of our world and the vivid characters who inhabit it, and shares the insights of a pilgrim philosopher who has truly earned his wisdom step by step by step.

There is additional information at
http://www.planetwalk...
and
http://en.wikipedia.o...

I'll have to go to this. Thanks Niles!

By the way, the link to the wikipedia article is broken.

Thanks. Fixed the link.

So he's walking here and then not speaking?

luv u lori!

So he's walking here and then not speaking?

Maybe it's some sort of interpretive dance.

Maybe it's some sort of interpretive dance.

Nice!

I'm listening to the TED talk now. Interesting guy!

I'm listening to the TED talk now. Interesting guy!

I can't hear anything but the faint sound of footsteps.....hmmmmm.

Try this TED link
http://www.ted.com/in...